You go to the gym on a regular basis, you eat organic when you can, you’re a fan of green juice but you’re not sure how to navigate the world of “green beauty” – what should you avoid, where should you start? It can be overwhelming! Here’s an easy way to make a few changes to start with – we’ll bump up to other options in coming months.
First off, I’d look at who’s cruelty-free – we’ll do a post
just about this in the future but it’s worth checking a website to see if your
fave products are tested on animals or not because, at this point in the game,
testing on animals isn’t necessary or, honestly, very nice so I’d rec checking
it out. PETA
and Leaping Bunny are good places to
start and most companies will say if they are cruelty-free even if they’re not
certified. Cruelty-free doesn't mean vegan, but it does mean that they don't test on animals.
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| Photo from Instagram @meowmeowtweet |
DEODORANT
Aluminum and parabens aren't awesome for your armpits so grabbing a
deodorant that is aluminum and paraben-free is a great place to start (studies are mixed on if these ingredients play a part in cancer but most people who get cancer are advised to switch to an aluminum and paraben-free deodorant by their doctor so it's up to you to be the judge). Pit Paste is a great line that works well for
people who aren’t sensitive (in a jar or in a stick). If you are
sensitive, the Lemon Eucalyptus stick from Meow Meow Tweet is effective and
won’t irritate or you can go baking soda-free from them and do the Grapefruit or Tea Tree options.
LIP BALM
Okay, if you (or your husband or children) are using ChapStick, Blistex, Aquaphor, Carmex,
Vaseline, C.O. Bigelow or Khiel’s lip balms chances are high that
they’re petroleum based. Ingredients to
avoid in your lip products are Petroleum, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil or
Polyisobutene as they all fall under the petrochemical umbrella and, long story
short, you’re eating it. You eat the
equivalent of one tube of lip balm/year and it ends up being 7-9 pounds in your
lifetime – it’s serious y’all! It's what made me want to create ours which are USDA Certified Organic and come in Peppermint, Coconut,
Lemonade and Lumberjack which have the slip of a petrochemical based balm
without the nasty ingredients.
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| Photo from Instagram @drbronner |
ORAL CARE
There are all kinds of ingredients in our toothpastes that
are no
bueno for you: Triclosan, Sodium
Lauryl Sulfates, Artificial Sweetners, Flouride and Propylene Glycol are
ingredients to look out for. My current
favorite is the Dr. Bronner's Toothpaste in Peppermint (it also
comes in Cinnamon and in Anise).
Mouthwash is another area where there’s Alcohol, Aspartame, Dyes (bright
blue anyone?) so avoiding those is a good goal.
My two faves are this one from Tom's of Maine or this one from Dr. Brite (also avail in Strawberry).
SUNSCREEN
I wrote a whole blog post and did a video on this but here’s the
short story – you want physical, not chemical, SPFs. What does that mean? The FDA sees sunscreens as drugs so look at
the “Drug Facts” or “Active Ingredients”.
You want physical SPFs, not chemical ones:
Most chemical SPF's are linked to unfortunate stuff , the worst being Oxybenzone. It hurts you and the coral reefs (you've seen reef-safe SPFs) so just skip it and stick with Non-Nano Zinc Oxide and/or Titanium Dioxide, preferably in a liquid/cream format and not a powder or spray. Want to know more? Read that blog post :).
For a safe daily sunscreen I love our Peptide SPF 30 which is a triple hitter - SPF, firming serum and lightweight moisturizer all in one. We've also got an SPF for body, a stick for easy application and a lip balm with sunscreen.
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| Aren't you glad this isn't our reality?! |
PERIOD STUFF
I typed "feminine hygiene" and it sounded like I was in a 6th grade health class so I'm going to go with "period stuff" instead. Long story short you guys, at the very least use fragrance-free tampons/pads. At the LEAST. Your vagina is a receptive lady and she will absorb whatever she encounters. Fragrance is linked to endocrine and reproductive issues so I vote to skip it.
Studies are mixed on if the levels of dioxin in conventional tampons is harmful, same story for having rayon in your tampons but, to me, if we can negate even having them in the equation then let's jump on the organic tampon bandwagon. For every purchase of a box of their organic tampons CORA provides pads and reproductive health education to girls in need around the globe - I'm super into their situation. You can also use a menstrual cup from Lena or the Diva Cup which you can reuse.
We'll talk about other ways you can go green but I feel like these are an easy way to start - let me know if you have any questions!
*this post contains affiliate links from products I use and love :)
I typed "feminine hygiene" and it sounded like I was in a 6th grade health class so I'm going to go with "period stuff" instead. Long story short you guys, at the very least use fragrance-free tampons/pads. At the LEAST. Your vagina is a receptive lady and she will absorb whatever she encounters. Fragrance is linked to endocrine and reproductive issues so I vote to skip it.
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| Photo from Cora |
Studies are mixed on if the levels of dioxin in conventional tampons is harmful, same story for having rayon in your tampons but, to me, if we can negate even having them in the equation then let's jump on the organic tampon bandwagon. For every purchase of a box of their organic tampons CORA provides pads and reproductive health education to girls in need around the globe - I'm super into their situation. You can also use a menstrual cup from Lena or the Diva Cup which you can reuse.
We'll talk about other ways you can go green but I feel like these are an easy way to start - let me know if you have any questions!
*this post contains affiliate links from products I use and love :)
